Release Date: April 2024
RRP: 9900 yen
The introduction of Luffy's Gear 5 form in the One Piece anime series was undoubtedly one of the biggest anime moments of 2023, with even those not well-versed in the decades-spanning series unable to escape the internet hype that surrounded its debut. Said popularity quickly spread to merchandising as well, with Bandai Tamashii Nations fairly quick off the mark to add it to the now steadily-growing range of S.H. Figuarts. S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Gear 5- even proved so popular that Bandai chose to reissue it the same year it was released - with a second shipment of the retail release figure coming into November 2024 following its initial April release.
Luffy Gear 5 comes packaged in the usual box design reserved for the One Piece Figuarts, albeit slightly thicker than usual to accommodate the abundance of extra parts the figure comes with. Complimenting the standard white box layout is some additional purple colouring, matching Luffy's sash in this form. The front of the box gives a glimpse of the figure through the window section, but really it's the alternate faceplates that are on show more. The rest of the front is taken up by an image of the figure in the now iconic Gear 5 laughing pose, with further images on the sides and back. Overall the box makes particular reference to the number of faceplates the release has, with them highlighted on both the back and the coloured spine. Inside the figure and accessories are very neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, which even uses space underneath the figure to get (nearly) everything on the one tray. The included Tamashii Stage however is taped to the back of the tray in a clear plastic bag. Instructions for all the accessories and parts-swapping (and this is one release where it definitely helps to look at them) are printed on the inside flaps of each side.
Gear 5 sees Luffy unlock the true powers of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika and achieve almost god-like powers, increasing the strength and expressiveness of his rubbery body and allowing him to manipulate it in any way he pleases. This is certainly evident in the appearance of this form, with Luffy adopting flowing white hair, swirled white eyebrows and glowing red eyes as his shirt and shorts also turn white. Design-wise the body isn't too dissimilar from the previously released -Raid on Onigashima- Luffy, but while there might not be that much difference in the sculpt there is some difference in the materials used. The head sculpt builds upon the previous Luffy with the new hair, eyebrows and eye colouring - once again perfectly capturing that anime look. Rounding off the visual changes of Gear 5 is are the clouds that surround the back of Luffy's neck, trailing down his body and then curling under his armpits. These have been rendered for the figure in milky white translucent plastic, which clip onto the torso on either side and then wrap around the body above and below. This is perhaps one of the most immediately fragile parts of the figure, so care should definitely be taken when posing. The cloud is however removable, which makes things much easier. Finally, as Luffy doesn't wear his signature straw hat in this form it hangs around his neck as a loose accessory (which feasibly could be removed and used with the other Luffy figures).
Articulation however is where things get interesting, and for many collectors it's likely to make or break the figure for them. Whereas on first glance this might just look like a regular S.H. Figuarts release, on closer inspection you'll soon realise that Gear 5 is quite different when it comes to poseability. As far as normal articulation goes the figure has;
- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists
- Double swivel hinge shoulders
- Swivel hinge hips and ankles
- Thigh swivels
All of which work exactly as you'd expect them to. The neck joint on the figure is particularly good, and together with the ball jointed torso allows for a fairly decent ab crunch when trying to replicate those floating poses. But when it comes to the actual limbs, Bandai have come up with the rather interesting idea of doing them as soft rubbery (internally wired) parts that can be bent into shape. The double jointed swivel hinge shoulders have been implemented to make up for the lack of a bicep swivel (since the arms are one solid piece). While the idea makes perfect sense (Luffy is a rubber man after all, and Gear 5 is particularly known for its cartoon-like movement), the execution itself is a lot to take in even for the most experience S.H. Figuarts collector. Other reviewers have recommended bathing the limbs in warm water before posing just to loosen them up a bit, which isn't a bad idea since they do take some time to get used to. While the legs are pretty straightforward because the legs are exposed, the clothed parts (particularly the arms) are much stiffer. The hip arrangement is also quite strange, since the crotch part is rubbery but the legs are attached via the usual swivel hinge. So it then becomes a test of bending the crotch section to further that ab crunch/bring the legs up without having the legs pop off their joints. There's a fine line between bending the joints to see what they're capable of and accidentally breaking it, so again I really recommend taking the cloud piece off whilst posing the limbs and then reattaching it once satisfied. Speaking of which, the cloud is also jointed at the shoulders which allows the back piece to raise and lower, but the joints aren't the strongest so it will slip down Luffy's back unless carefully balanced. Finally, a much bigger concern for collectors is just how well these rubbery parts are going to hold up over time. Luffy Gear 5 isn't the easiest figure to get to grips with, but with patience and practice you quickly fall in love with just how expressive it can be. Fiddly as they may be those rubbery limbs allow for far more natural (not to mention seamless) posing than their jointed counterparts, and are perfect for capturing that flowing, cartoon-like look in 3D form. They're also a nice warm up to the forthcoming Gum-Gum Option Parts set, which will instil these abilities on the -Raid on Onigashima- and -Romance Dawn- figures.
However any reservations you have about the articulation should be made up for by the accessory count, which is undoubtedly one of the most impressive in the whole One Piece line. Among these accessories are four additional faceplates, three additional pairs of hands, two elongated arm parts, a lightning bolt weapon/effect and (perhaps most incredibly of all) an articulated Tamashii Stage display stand. Not just one of the basic display stands either - this is one with one of the multi-jointed arms allowing for a far greater range of pose positions. Given that a lot of Gear 5's movements have Luffy floating it makes sense that the set includes a display stand, but it's such a rarity with S.H. Figuarts releases that it's still surprising when a figure does come with one. As for the specific accessories themselves, there really is just so much on offer here. While the hand selection may just be the usual array of closed fists, two sets of open hands and accessory-holding hands, the additional faceplates are where the set really shines. In addition the the default laughing face there's also an angry face, a grinning face and then two wonderfully cartoon faces - a second angry puffed-out face with big teeth and then a full Tex Avery style surprised expression with the eyes and tongue popping out. Both are amazing, but the latter has to win some sort of award for being the most wonderfully over the top faceplate the line has ever produced. The lightning bolt is a handheld accessory made of translucent blue plastic, which breaks down into two halves to be slotted into the hand. Finally there are those elongated arms - something that arguably should come as standard with any Luffy figure. If you're having trouble posing the smaller arms, swap to these and you'll find getting to grips with the figure's strange articulation far more manageable as the exposed arms are much easier to bend to your will. Swapping is a lot simpler than expected too, as although the shoulder joints seem small and fragile the arms pop on and off with only a little bit of force required. Through the combination of the faceplates, the poseabilty of the longer arms and the additional support that comes from the Tamashii Stage, the personality of this figure really begins to come out and you quickly realise how fun it is despite the aforementioned learning curve.
Of course a One Piece S.H. Figuarts release wouldn't be complete without an extra accessory for one of their standard Luffy figures, and in this case it's something that ties in very nicely with Gear 5. Rather than just offering an alternate faceplate, this release instead has a whole new head piece for the -Raid on Onigashima- version representing him transforming into the Gear 5 state. The hair has been moulded down over the face in curved waves, with the only part of his face exposed being that wild slightly manic grin. The hair has also been given a wash of white paint, not only bringing out the sculpting a little more but furthering the idea that it's in the middle of transforming. As far as pieces for additional figures go it definitely feels like one of the better ones since as it properly ties into this release, and in a display would go rather nicely with the Kaidou figure Tamashii Nations released just prior to this (which in turn came with a defeated/"dead" head for Luffy).
S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Gear 5- is without a doubt the strangest Figuarts I've ever handled, but certainly one of the most expressive. Between getting used to the bendy limbs and the fiddliness of the cloud piece there are times this figure will frustrate, but once you get over its rather steep learning curve bringing out all of that personality becomes a lot of fun. With the sheer amount of optional parts it comes with, as well as the rare treat of getting a Tamashii Stage included with a release (and one of better ones at that), it's a package that almost certainly justifies its asking price. The biggest question of all though is just how well those bendy limbs are going to hold up over time. In the meantime though, genuinely it was just nice to experience something that felt radically different from the line. I've handled a whole lot of S.H. Figuarts in my time, but nothing quite like this.
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